Feeding installation for feeding rounds of ammunition from a magazine to a hoist



June 23, 1959 s. A. HENsfRCbM ETAL 2,891,448

FEEDING INSTALLATION FOR FEEDING ROUNDS 0F AMMUNITION FROM A MAGAZINE TO A HOIST Filed Feb. 25, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 June 23,1959

A; HE TRbM EIAL 2,891,448

FEEDING INSTALL ON FO EEDING ROUN OF AMMUNITION Filed Feb. 25, ;957

FR A MAGAZINE TO A HOI 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 u Sr-EN Page: flu; rams-1v Br H June 23, 1959- s. A. HENSTROM EI'AL 2,891,448 FEEDING INSTALLATION FOR FEEDING-ROUNDS 0F AMMUNITION FROM .A MAGAZINETO A HOIST Filed Feb. 25, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet s HIE-PEI f A! vs fORs SFEN as 051* fivvrrfilv Mel Snew R0004: A uArQRE/V Hr-rORA/Ers June 1959 s. A. HENSTROM ETAL 2,891,448

FEEDING INSTALLATION FOR FEEDING ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION FROM A MAGAZINE TO A HOIST Filed Feb. 25, 1957 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 y I l i q 7 s I Q i i \w g g i I E g a l' I w? [1V valvrons She-N flucz/sr HIM/awed A Awz. JTE/V- 00041: flULTG/QE'N 2,891,448 FEED ING rNsrALrArioNj Fen FEEDING ROUNDS F AMMUNITION FROM A MAGAZINE TO A V Sten August Henstrtim 'and Karl Ste n Rudolf Hultgren, Bofors, Sweden, assignorsto -Aktiebolaget Bofors, Bofors, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application February 25, 1957, Serial No. 642,200 Claims priority, application Sweden February 22, 1956 13 Claims. ((189 46) 1 The present invention relates to a feeding installation for feeding rounds of ammunition from a magazine to a hoist.

In feeding installations of the general kind above referred to, the rounds to be hoisted are fed to a compartmentalized drum forming part of the hoist proper and hoisted from the drum as the same is rotated step by step and successive rounds are mdvedirito alignment with the hoist shaft.

There are known installations in which a new round is fed into the drum simultaneously with the removal of a round from the drum. Such feeding of the rounds, one by one, limits the capacity of the hoist which has often a greater capacity than the feeding conveyor. To overcorne this shortcoming, several radially arranged feeder conveyors have been proposed. However, a rapid feeding arrangement of this kind involves a complicated and not sufliciently reliable design which has been found to be unsuitable for automatic feeding of the hoist.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved installation of the general kind above referred to, which permits? the rapid feeding of the hoist drum so as to utilize fully the capacity of the hoist without entailing the cumbersome and unreliable construction as heretofore known for the purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved installation which permits the simultaneous feeding of several rounds to the hoist drum, all in the same radial direction.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved installation without materially increasing the required space which is. often at a premium.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved installation in which several multiple feeding conveyors are provided each simultaneously feeding several rounds. This affords the advantage that the rapid feeding of different kinds of ammunition can be effected by selectively operating the conveyors while essentially preserving the aforedescribed advantages of simplicity and space reduction.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter and set forth in the appended claims forming part of the application.

In the accompanying drawing several preferred embodments of the invention are shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing: 7

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic isometric view of a feeding installation according to the invention for feeding ammunition to a gun turret. I

Fig. 2 is a fragrnentary'horizontal section of the installation of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line III- -III of Fig. 2.

ited States Patent 0 2,891,448 Patented June 23,- 1959 "ice Fig. 4 is a section taken on line -IV-IV of Fig. 2., and

Fig. 5 is a'horizontal section similar to Fig; 2 of a modification of the installation.

Referring now to the figures in detail, Fig. 1 shows a gun turret 1'. This turret can be trained upon the target by traversing the upper part 2 of the turret and elevating or depressing the gun barrel 3. The turret may be visualized as being mounted on a war ship, but it may also be a stationary emplacement.

Rounds 4 of ammunition are fed from a suitable magazine (not shown) through a shaft 5, shown as being horizontally disposed, to a rotary generally cylindrical drum 6. This drum coacts with the hoist shaft 7 of the installation and is rotated step-by-step about a perpendicular axis by suitable drive means the design of which is not essential for the understanding of the invention and which are hence not shown in detail. The round designated in Fig. 1 by 4a is positioned below hoist shaft 7 in axial alignment therewith so that it can be hoisted and delivered to the breech of barrel 3. The means effecting the delivery of the round to the barrel does not constitute part of the present invention and its detailed description is not essential for the understanding of the same.

Turning now to Figs. 2 and 3, these figures show shaft 5 and drum 6 more in detail. Shaft 5 is formed by outer walls 9, and a longitudinal partition Wall in the form of a T shaped rail 8 divides the shaft in two parallel longitudinal compartments. The upper flange of rail 8 overlies the flanges' of the cartridge cases of the rounds while the same are conveyed through shaft 5 thereby steadying the'rounds in upright position.

The revolving drum 6 is shown as being divided by partition walls 6' in six longitudinal compartments circumferentially distributed about the perpendicular longitudinal rotational axis 16 of the drum. The compartments are arranged in three groups of two compartments 10, 11; 12, 13 and 14, 15 each. The radial median planes of the three groups are symmetrically spaced by angles of each. It is assumed that the drum can be moved through steps of 60" each and retained in each position so that there are'six stop positions of the drum during each revolution thereof. Means suitable for the purpose are well known in the art. As' can best be seen in Fig. 2, after each two steps of the drum, the two compartments of a group are disposed in alignment with feed shaft 5, or in other words the two respective compartments constitute in effect an extension of shaft 5; compartment-s 10 and 11 are shown in Fig. 2 in this position of alignment; In this connection, it should be mentioned that 'more'or' less groups than three may be provided in the drum and each group may include more than two compartments. 'It is only ess ential that an equal number of compartments is included in each group. 7

Aspringrotated plunger 17 isprovided in each compartinent, This plunger is pushed in when a round is inserted in the. compartment to prevent upward movements ofthe round during the rotation of the drum; There is: further. provided at the radially innermost part of eachcompartment at or near the bottom thereof a lug 19 pivotal about ahorizontal pin 18. These lugs overlie the flanges of the cartridge cases of the rounds inserted in the compartments thereby preventing tipping of a round during the rotation of the drum, but release the rounds in the position in which a compare ment' is in alignment with the hoist shaft- 7, "comp re ment 15 being shown in' this position. The lugs- 119 are controlled by means of a suitable linkage indicated by a-bar 20 linked to the lug and controlled for. instance by acain arrangement.

shown as being formed by an extension of shaft walls 9. I

Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically the means for conveying successive rounds through shaft 5. These means are shown only to the extent necessary for the under- Standing of the invention. They comprise four guide members 21, 22, 23 and 24. Members 21'and 23 are bars rotatable but not axially displaceable and mount guide flaps 25. These flaps are shown in Fig. 3 in perpendicular position in which they release the rounds for movement along shaft 5. The two other members 22 and 24 are feeding bars which are both, rotatable and axially movable. They mount guide flaps 26 which in the position shown block a movement of rounds along shaft 5. When feeding members 22 and 24 with their flaps 26 in the gripping position are axially displaced by any suitable drive means the rounds will be pushed toward the hoist drum by a distance corresponding to the distance between the respective flaps. At the end of the conveying movement, all four guide members are turned so that flaps 25 on bars 21 and 23 prevent tipping of the rounds and flaps 26 permit a return movement of the bars 22 and 24, that is, flaps 26 on bars 22 and 24 are turned into their perpendicular positions. As appears from the previous description, successive pairs of rounds can be moved from the magazine into the hoist drum and at the same time a tipping of the rounds is prevented at all times. Such tipping may be caused by a more or less violent movement of the entire installation due for instance to the rolling or pitching of a ship.

Fig. 4 illustrates the removal of a round from a compartment of the drum. The hoist mechanism according to this figure comprises an endless chain 27 guided by means of pulleys 28 or other suitable means so that part of the chain passes alongside the drum from a point substantially perpendicular below hoist shaft 7. The aforementioned casing formed by the extensions of walls 9 within which drum 6 is housed has a longitudinal slot 29 which is in registry with a similar longitudinal slot 30 in hoist shaft 7. Chain 27 mounts and moves lugs 31 in the direction indicated in Fig. 4 by an arrow. A cut-out 32 in the base of each compartment provides space for the lugs 31 to reach into the compartments andunder the bottom of a cartridge case placed. in a compartment thereby lifting the round in hoist shaft 7 as a lug 31 moves upwardly. The spacing of the lugs on the chain is correlated with the disposition of the compartments in the drum and the required movement of the rounds in the hoist shaft.

Each rotation of the drum 6 by one step, that is through an angle of 60", moves a new compartment into the position occupied in Fig. 2 by compartment 15. In this position a round can be hoisted as previously explained. After every second step of the drum, a new group of compartments emptied by the operation of the hoist will reach a position occupied in Fig. 2 by compartments and 11. In this position two new rounds can be simultaneously fed from shaft 5 to drum 6. The Y period of time required for a feeding operation is short as only one forward movement of feeding members 22 and 24 is necessary to push two rounds into the respective compartments. The aforedescribed turning of all the feeding members and the return of members 22 and 24 into the position for a new forward movement can be readily completed during the time required by the drum to make two steps and during the interval between two stepping movements which is required to hoist a round. As is apparent, the simultaneous feeding of two rounds (or more rounds in the event more than two compartments form a group) affords the advantage of materially increasing the capacity of the entire installation. Furthermore, the two parallel tracks through which the rounds are moved do not occupy much more space for all practical purposes than a single track, and the entire 4 area around the hoist drum other than the area occupied by shaft 5 is free of encumbrances.

In the arrangement of Fig. 5 two multiple feed shafts as previously described are provided in diametrically opposite arrangement. The second shaft is designated by 32. Its operation isobvious from the previous description. The second shaft, and if desired an additional shaft, may be used either to increase still further the capacity of the hoist, or to feed different kinds of ammunition to the gun by selectively operating one or the other feed shaft. As is evident, the provision of two or more multiple feed shafts increases the space requirements of the installation and makes the same somewhat more complicated, but these disadvantages are more than outweighed by the increase in capacity and the possibility of selecting the kind of ammunition to be fired. In any event, the'installation according to Fig. 5 provides a much higher feed capacity than installations as heretofore known and occupying a comparable space.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certain now preferred examples and embodiments of the invention it will be 'understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A feeding installation for feeding rounds of ammunition from a magazine to a hoist, said installation comprising a generally cylindrical drum revoluble stepwise about a longitudinal axis, partition walls in said drum partitioning the same into several longitudinally disposed compartments each adapted to receive a round of ammunition, said compartments being arranged in several groups, each groupincluding an equal number Of several compartments, said drum having in its pe ripheral wall circumferentially spaced openings each constituting a feed opening for a respective compartment, feeder conveyor means for feeding a round of ammunition simultaneously to all the compartments in one group through the respective drum opening in a predetermined position of said group of compartments relative to the feeder conveyor means, and hoist means for hoisting a round from a compartment in another group in a predetermined rotational position of the drum relative to the hoist means.

2. An installation according to claim 1, wherein said groups of compartments are symmetrically and circumferentially spaced within the drum so that all the compartments of one group occupy said predetermined position for simultaneously feeding upon rotation of the drum through successive hoisting positions for all the compartments in another group.

3. An installation as set forth in claim 1, wherein said feeder means comprises several parallel conveyors circumferentially spaced around said drum by a distance corresponding to at least one full multiple of the angular distance between the compartments of each one of said groups, each one of said conveyors being separately and selectively actuated to feed a round of ammunition simultaneously to all of the compartments of one of said groups.

4. An installation as set forth in claim 1, wherein said groups of compartments are symmetrically and circumferentially spaced apart within said drum, said hoist means and said feeder conveyor means being in fixed circumferentially spaced apart positions around said longitudinal axis of said drum an arcuate distance corresponding to at least one full multiple of the arcuate distance between the compartments of one of said groups, at least one of the compartments in one of said groups occupying said predetermined feeding position during successive hoisting operations when another group of compartments is in said predetermined rotational position relative to said hoist means.

5. A feeding installation for feeding rounds of ammunition from a magazine to a hoist, said installation comprising a generally cylindrical drum revoluble stepwise about a perpendicular axis, partition walls in said drum partitioning the same into several longitudinally disposed compartments each adapted to receive a round of ammunition, said compartments being arranged in several groups, each group including an equal number of several compartments, said drum having in its peripheral Wall circumferentially spaced openings each constituting a feed opening for a respective compartment, a generally cylindrical casing housing said revoluble drum, said casing having in its peripheral wall a port corresponding in outline to the combined outline of the openings leading into the compartments forming a group, feeder conveyor means communicating with said casing port for simultaneously feeding through said port a number of rounds equal to the number of all the compartments in one group positioned in radial alignment with said casing port, and hoist means for hoisting a round from a compartment in a group other than the group in alignment with said port.

6. An installation according to claim 5, wherein said feeder conveyor means comprises a conveyor shaft communicating at one end with said port, said end constituting the discharge end of the conveyor shaft.

7. An installation according to claim 6, wherein said conveyor shaft includes longitudinal partion means dividing said shaft in as many longitudinal parallel tracks as there are compartments in one group, each of said tracks being adapted to receive one row of rounds.

8. An installation according to claim 5, wherein said hoisting means are disposed at a circumferential distance from the casing port such that all the compartments in one group are in alignment with said port upon rotating the drum through an angle such that all the compartments in another group have successively passed said hoisting means.

9. An installation according to claim 5, wherein said casing wall includes several circumferentially spaced ports, and wherein said feeder conveyor means comprises several conveyors each communicating with a respective one of said ports and each arranged to feed a round simultaneously to all the compartments in one group, said several conveyors being separately and selectively operable.

10. An installation according to claim 5, wherein said conveyor means comprise parallel conveyor tracks corresponding in number to the number of compartments in one group for simultaneously feeding all the compartments.

11. An installation according to claim 10, wherein said conveyor tracks are stationarily mounted, and wherein feeding members are provided for each track, said feeding members being longitudinally movable relative to said tracks to move rounds on the tracks a predetermined distance toward said port.

12. An installation according to claim 11, wherein each of said feeding members comprises fiap members disposed transversely of the tracks and movable between one position steadying and moving the rounds toward said port upon longitudinal movement of the feeding members and another position clear of rounds on the tracks.

13. An installation according to claim 12, wherein second flap members are disposed in each of said tracks transversely thereof movable between one position for steadying rounds on the tracks and another position clear of the rounds, said first and second flap members being mounted in alternating relative positions such that the first flap members are in said one position when the second flap members are in said other position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,745,317 Stanton et al May 15, 1956 

